Under an H1B visa, the individual is able to sponsor their family for green cards, as well as their spouse to work under an H-4EAD visa. With the crackdown on H1B visas and the discontinuation of H-4EAD visas, hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants face the possibility of deportation. Approximately 100,000 spouses are granted H-4EAD visas annually to work, and an overwhelming number of them are Indian.

“The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community has, in part, developed due to the need for skilled workers in America. The contributions of H1B visa workers, as well as H-4EAD visa workers, have helped build some of the largest industries here today including technology and medicine,” said Vicki Shu, OCA National Vice President of Public Affairs. “Many of their families are still waiting for their green cards, but now could be torn apart. It is cruel and disheartening that the government would dismiss the many contributions Asian Americans have given to this country. We encourage President Trump to recognize the contributions of immigrant communities and prevent the movement of any regulation that will harm the work status of H1B spouses.”

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national organization of community advocates dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).